The soul of the village is played out in this struggle over Camagu’s soul as he reconnects with the part of himself that has been in exile over all these years. She reveres the past and feels connected to the land in a way that Xoliswa Ximiya never will. She is different from Xoliswa Ximiya in every way.

'Ways of Dying' - Explanatory notes and questions written to help students to study and explore Zakes Mda's novel, Ways of Dying. The other appealing woman is Zim’s daughter, Qukezwa. Zakes Mda's new novel is a triumph of imaginative and historical writing, showing how the past continues to live in the present. As the headmistress of the local secondary school, Xoliswa Ximiya rejects tradition and wants to see her country develop along the lines of the United States. One is Xoliswa Ximiya, the beautiful and accomplished daughter of Bhonco. While he does not find her, he finds two other women who appeal to different sides of him. But in Johannesburg, Camagu finds that his country does not want his help, and so plans to go back into “exile.” Instead of driving to the airport, Camagu takes a 10-hour detour to Qolorha-by-Sea to see if he can find the woman who had captivated him the night before. Zim, the direct descendant of Twin, continues in the faith of his ancestor and has passed his strong belief in the prophesies to his daughter, Qukezwa.Ĭamagu spent most of his life in the United States but returned to South Africa to rebuild his country after the fall of apartheid. He has resurrected the cult of the Unbelievers and continues to feud with the descendants of Twin. Bhonco, Twin-Twin’s direct descendant, has inherited the scars that Twin-Twin suffered after being accused of being a wizard. The feud continues into the 21st century and post-apartheid South Africa. The actions of their ancestors have profound effects on the progeny of both Twin and Twin-Twin. While Twin believes in the prophesies and participates in the destruction, his brother Twin-Twin denounces Nongqawuse, and is eventually forced into aligning himself with the British government in order to protect his homestead, family, and cattle from his brother and the other “Believers.” Disgusted by all forms of religion, Twin-Twin eventually starts his own cult of “Unbelievers.” Twin and Twin-Twin are two brothers who fall on either side of the cattle-killing prophesies.

Zakes mda ways of dying pdf